The Chinese Zodiac Imaginative, generous, successful, popular, curious Feb 10, 1948 – Jan 28, 1949 Jan 28, 1960 – Feb 14, 1961 Feb 15, 1972 – Feb 2, 1973 Feb 2, 1984 – Feb 19, 1985 Feb 19, 1996 – Feb 6, 1997 Feb 7, 2008 – Jan 25, 2009 Jan 25, 2020 – Feb 11, 2021 Chou (ox) Confident, honest, patient, conservative, strong Jan 29, 1949 – Feb 16, 1950 Feb 15, 1961 – Feb 4, 1962 Feb 3, 1973 – Jan 22, 1974 Feb 20, 1985 – Feb 8, 1986 Feb 7

, 1997 – Jan 27, 1998 Jan 26, 2009 – Feb 13, 2010 Feb 12, 2021 – Jan 31, 2022 Yin (tiger) Sensitive, tolerant, brave, active, resilient Feb 17, 1950 – Feb 5, 1951 Feb 5, 1962 – Jan 24, 1963 Jan 23, 1974 – Feb 10, 1975 Feb 9, 1986 – Jan 28, 1987 Jan 28, 1998 – Feb 15, 1999 Feb 14, 2010 – Feb 2, 2011 Feb 1, 2022 – Jan 21, 2023 Mao (rabbit) Affectionate, kind, gentle, compassionate, merciful Feb 6, 1951 – Jan 26, 1952 Jan 25

, 1963 – Feb 12, 1964 Feb 11, 1975 – Jan 30, 1976 Jan 29, 1987 – Feb 16, 1988 Feb 16, 1999 – Feb 4, 2000 Feb 3, 2011 – Jan 22, 2012 Jan 22, 2023 – Feb 9, 2024 Chen (dragon) Enthusiastic, intelligent, lively, energetic, innovative Jan 27, 1952 – Feb 13, 1953 Feb 13, 1964 – Feb 1, 1965 Jan 31, 1976 – Feb 17, 1977 Feb 17, 1988 – Feb 5, 1989 Feb 5, 2000 – Jan 23, 2001 Jan 23, 2012 – Feb 9, 201

3 Feb 10, 2024 – Jan 28, 2025 Si (snake) Charming, intuitive, romantic, highly perceptive, polite Feb 14, 1953 – Feb 2, 1954 Feb 2, 1965 – Jan 20, 1966 Feb 18, 1977 – Feb 6, 1978 Feb 6, 1989 – Jan 26, 1990 Jan 24, 2001 – Feb 11, 2002 Feb 10, 2013 – Jan 30, 2014 Jan 29, 2025 – Feb 16, 2026 Wu (horse) Diligent, friendly, sophisticated, talented, clever Feb 3, 1954 – Jan 23, 1955 Jan 21, 1966 – Feb 8, 1967 Feb 7, 1978 – Jan 27, 1979

 Jan 27, 1990 – Feb 14, 1991 Feb 12, 2002 – Jan 31, 2003 Jan 31, 2014 – Feb 18, 2015 Feb 17, 2026 – Feb 5, 2027 Wei (sheep) Artistic, calm, reserved, happy, kind Jan 24, 1955 – Feb 11, 1956 Feb 9, 1967 – Jan 29, 1968 Jan 28, 1979 – Feb 15, 1980 Feb 15, 1991 – Feb 3, 1992 Feb 1, 2003 – Jan 21, 2004 Feb 19, 2015 – Feb 7, 2016 Feb 6, 2027 – Jan 25, 2028 Shen (monkey) Witty, lively, flexible, humorous, curious Feb 

12, 1956 – Jan 30, 1957 Jan 30, 1968 – Feb 16, 1969 Feb 16, 1980 – Feb 4, 1981 Feb 4, 1992 – Jan 22, 1993 Jan 22, 2004 – Feb 8, 2005 Feb 8, 2016 – Jan 27, 2017 Jan 26, 2028 – Feb 12, 2029 You (rooster) Shrewd, honest, communicative, motivated, punctual Jan 31, 1957 – Feb 17, 1958 Feb 17, 1969 – Feb 5, 1970 Feb 5, 1981 – Jan 24, 1982 Jan 23, 1993 – Feb 9, 1994 Feb 9, 2005 – Jan 28, 

2006 Jan 28, 2017 – Feb 15, 2018 Feb 13, 2029 – Feb 2, 2030 Xu (dog) Loyal, honest, responsible, courageous, warm-hearted Feb 18, 1958 – Feb 8, 1959 Feb 6, 1970 – Jan 26, 1971 Jan 25, 1982 - Feb 12, 1983 Feb 10 1994 – Jan 30, 1995 Jan 29, 2006 – Feb 17, 2007 Feb 16, 2018 – Feb 4, 2019 Feb 3, 2030 – Jan 22, 2031 Hai (boar/pig) China and Chinese New Year DLTK's Crafts for Kids Chinese New Year and China Crafts and Children's Activities The Chinese calendar follows the moon and divides the years into groups of twelve.

Each year is named for an animal. People born in that year are believed to share different traits. The first of the twelve years is the Year of the Rat. This is followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Because the Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year, the date of Chinese New Year changes each year. 2017 is the Year of the Rooster and Chinese New Year is celebrated on January 28th this year. Click here for chinese language directions for a few of our crafts. Ideas from Viewers: Here is an idea for Chinese New Year from Jo. Take a brown paper bag(large). Cut holes for eyes then decorate it with either markers, crayons or construction paper. Add streamers to the bottom and have a parade with your Chinese dragon. Game: Catch the Dragon's Tail Catch the Dragon's Tail is sort of like a team based form of tag.. The children split into two groups. Each group forms a line with their hands on the shoulders of the child in front of them. The child at the front of each line is the dragon's head and the very last child is the dragon's tail.

The goal is for the dragon's head (the child in front) to tag the dragon's tail (the child in back). Whichever team catches the dragon's tail first, wins! Chinese New Year | Chinese Animal Year Zodiac | Chinese New Year Dates Today's Horoscope The Chinese Lunar calendar follows a 12 year cycle and each of the 12 years is represented by 12 Animals which form the Chinese Zodiac. After every 12 years the Chinese Calendar repeats itself. The animals in the Chinese Zodiac or the animals which constitute the Chinese calendar are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. • Chinese New Year Dates - Chinese new year dates as per English calendar Chinese Years - Chinese Animal Years List Given below is a list of all the years starting from the year 1900 to 2100 sorted according to the Chinese Animal they represent. For example, the Years listed under the column rat represent the Chinese Year of the Rat, likewise, Chinese Year of the Tiger, Chinese Year of the Hare etc...

Rat 2103 Chinese New Year - Chinese New Year Date When in Chinese New Year 2018 or 2019? What is the English date corresponding to Chinese New Year date? Given below is the Chinese New Year dates of all Years between 2005 and 2020. Chinese New year date in English calendar format and English new year date in Chinese Year Format. Chinese new year date as per English calendar English date corresponding to Chinese new year i.e., first day of first Chinese month of each year.

Chinese New Year 2011 - February 3, 2011 Chinese New Year 2012 - January 23, 2012 Chinese New Year 2013 - February 10, 2013 Chinese New Year 2014 - January 31, 2014 Chinese New Year 2015 - February 19, 2015 Chinese New Year 2016 - February 8, 2016 Chinese New Year 2017 - January 28, 2017 Chinese New Year 2018 - February 16, 2018 Chinese New Year 2019 - February 5, 2019 Chinese New Year 2020 - January 25, 2020 Chinese New Year 2021 - February 12, 2021 Chinese New Year 2022 - February 1, 2022 Chinese New Year 2023 - January 22, 2023 Chinese New Year 2024 - February 10

, 2024 Chinese New Year 2025 - January 29, 2025 Chinese New Year 2026 - February 17, 2026 New year date as per Chinese calendar year Chinese date corresponding to English new year i.e., January 1.

January, 1 2012 is 8-12-4709 January, 1 2013 is 20-11-4710 January, 1 2014 is 1-12-4711 January, 1 2015 is 11-11-4712 January, 1 2016 is 22-11-4713 January, 1 2017 is 4-12-4714 January, 1 2018 is 15-11-4715 January, 1 2019 is 26-11-4716 January, 1 2020 is 7-12-4717 January, 1 2021 is 18-11-4718 January, 1 2022 is 29-11-4719 January, 1 2023 is 10-12-4720 January, 1 202

4 is 20-11-4721 January, 1 2025 is 2-12-4722 January, 1 2026 is 13-11-4723 January, 1 2027 is 24-11-4724 Chinese Calendar is the traditional astrology calendar of the Chinese people.

Many of the chinese festivals and Government Holidays are determined based on the Chinese Calendar. The months of the Chinese Calendar is a sixty year cycle. Chinese Animal Year / Chinese Zodiac Calendar Chinese calendar related links Chinese New Year Chinese New Year Chinese New Year Kung Hei Fat Choy! Kung Hei Fat Choy means Happy New Year! Welcome to our Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year pages! We've got a huge collection of fun activities for you to explore and enjoy with your kids, both at home or in the classroom. You can learn about the current year - Year of the Goat - or just enjoy our general Chinese New Year content (including original colouring pages, crafts, puzzles, worksheets, printables of all sorts)... but be warned, there's probably enough here to last you until next Chinese New Year! Nine Asian countries celebrate the Lunary New Year with public holidays and variations on the activities you will find described below. About 1/5 of the world's population will be enjoying the festivies, and New Year's Eve is the world's biggest annual migration, with over 200 million people making every effort to get home for a big celebratory dinner with their extended families.

Year of the Rooster On 28th January 2017 we welcome in a new Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rooster! For lots of new colouring pages, puzzles, worksheets and other printables, explore here: Year of the Rooster Lots NEW! What Is Chinese New Year? Chinese New Year is the most important of the Chinese holidays, and is a time of feasting with the family, celebration, fireworks and gift-giving. It is a 15-day holiday, beginning on the first day of a new moon and ending with the full moon on the day of the Lantern Festival. The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year, so the date of Chinese New Year changes every year. The Chinese calendar follows a 12-year pattern with each year named after an animal. There are various stories which explain this. The simplest is that Buddha (or the Jade Emperor) invited all of the animals to join him for a New Year celebration, but only 12 animals turned up.

To reward the animals that did come, Buddha named a year after each of them in the order that they arrived, starting with the Rat, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. (Find another version of the story to print, below) Depending on the year you are born, you are believed to have the various character traits of that year's animal. Learn more about Chinese New Year and explore some of symbolism and traditions of the holiday and celebrations Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat Chinese New Year Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat New Year Celebrations The Chinese New Year is an important eastern celebration and the time of year when Chinese families reunite and honor their ancestors, carry out special rituals and traditions and send wishes of prosperity and good fortune. The country literally will close down for the first 4 or 5 days of the festivities with many businesses staying closed throughout the entire 15 day celebration. Transportation systems across China will be burgeoning with travelers heading home for this important event. Food is at the center of the festivities. But not just any food, dishes symbolize hope for good fortune for a positive year ahead.

This is a fun time to gather your family and friends for a New Year party. One way to celebrate the holiday is to hold a Chinese tea tasting. Keep it simple or go all out to kick off the Year of the Rat. Try our easy to use guide to hold your tea tasting. Chinese Tea Tasting Guide Select 4-6 of our suggested teas . Greet guests with a cup of tea that has been prepared ahead and re-heated as suggested. If you don't want to prepare a meal, schedule your tasting in between major meal times so guests don't expect lunch or dinner. Either way, have light snacks out for guests to nibble as they drink their tea. Almond cookies can be prepared ahead and kept fresh in a sealed container. Rice crackers with nuts and other pre-made items can be found at Chinese markets. Don't forget fortune cookies, they are always fun. Steamed dumplings are an easy, more substantial addition. Frozen dumplings are available at Chinese markets and are stuffed with various ingredients for flavor variety. Dumplings do not re-heat well! They are quick to prepare so steam and serve immediately. Edamame is another simple snack, not traditionally Chinese, but a fun snack your guests will enjoy.

Include candied or dried fruits. Orange and tangerine sections would also be traditional to serve. Foods are highly symbolic and an important part of this festive occasion. Tea Tasting Tips Gather the items you will need the day before. Make sure you have teapots, filters, strainers, cups and dishes for wet and dry leaves, a timer, a kettle and additional containers to heat water on the stove. Set up a special "tasting" table where guests can see and take part in the tasting. Remember preparation can get messy so be ready for drips and spills. When you begin your tasting get your guests involved by preparing the various teas so that they can see you. Pass around dry tea leaves on plates for guests to see while the tea is brewing. Once the tea is brewed, pass around the wet leaves for a comparison. Know what types of tea you are preparing- black, green, oolong etc. and be sure you have brewing tips and times down. Taste the teas hot and then after they have cooled a bit and discuss the differences. Not everyone will like everything and that is part of the fun. Scatter bowls of oranges, complete with leaves if possible, symbolizing relationship security.

Decorate using fresh flowers and live plants representing life and rebirth. Red is the color of the New Year and represents prosperity. Use red napkins, a red door hanger, red table coverings; incorporate the color anywhere possible. Keep things festive and use in-expensive bamboo steamers of different sizes to serve dumplings to guests. Entertain guests with lunar calendars and animal profiles . Give guests a small red envelopes to symbolize your sentiments of good fortune and prosperity to the recipient. Sharing the Chinese New Year with friends and family is fun, tasty and rewarding. Read a first-hand account of this historical celebration through the eyes of Amy Zhang, who manages our office in China. She shares her fondest memories of celebrating with her family as a child and how the holiday is evolving in China today. Read Amy's story. ADDITIONAL FOOD MEANINGS During this special time the Chinese like to celebrate with a bounty of different foods, each symbolizing something different for the upcoming year. A whole braised or broiled fish, to signify togetherness, or a noodle dish to impart wishes of long life and health. Offering many different types of foods at celebrations symbolizes an abundance of happiness, wealth and successes in the year to come.

While the Chinese are certainly not big into sweets at the New Year cakes and other sweets emulate rising fortune, and enhanced sweetness of life. Some additional foods the Chinese prepare for luck and prosperity include: Lo Han Jai - vegetarian stir-fry dish with root vegetables, lotus, ginkgo nut, black moss seaweed, dried tofu or bean curd, bamboo shoots, can include cabbage and mushrooms. Saute vegetables with soy sauce and sesame oil, add chicken broth and cornstarch to create a sauce. Sticky Rice cake - (Neen Gow, Nian Gao)- steamed fruitcake made with glutinous rice flour. Turnip cake - savory cake typically made with seafood, Chinese sausage, vegetables and rice flour. New Year Salad - typically serve don't he 7th day to celebrate "everyone's birthday"- Raw whitefish salad, with citrus fruits and crunchy vegetables. Black seaweed and oysters - dried oysters and seaweed are cooked with soy sauce to create a savory sauce and served on blanched lettuce or cabbage. What Lies Ahead in the Year of the Rat? The Rat is the 1st Sign of the Lunar Cycle and this year is the year of the positive Earth Rat.

The last time we were in a positive Earth Rat cycle was February 10th, 1948 to January 28th, 1949. Coming off of 2 consecutive "Fire" years life may seem calmer during this Earth year. The Rat never stops moving, especially when it comes to mental activity so don't be deceived by the calm. Mixing of the Rat's fixed element water and the earth element of 2008 none of should rely on luck this year to get us through. Alternately, the Earth/Rat combination creates a great balance between the risky Rat and practical and stable Earth element. This balance creates positive results leading to good profits, increased productivity and other positive achievements. The first sign in the Chinese zodiac the Rat symbolizes new beginnings. So this is a good year to start new ventures and look outside the box. It's the perfect time to try new ideas, create a new direction in your personal or business life or venture out with new ways of doing things. Experiment a little; there are plenty of opportunities to find success. And with Earth's influence there could be fewer scandals than in other Rat years. This is an equally good time for thinking and all kinds of intellectual endeavors.

Planning, scholarship and research, for example, are favorable activities. It is also an auspicious time for the arts; although, under Earth's influence, applied arts such as design and graphics may do best. Earth favors those who are tied to the land, do a lot of routine work, deal with practical matters, or perform work of a spiritual nature. Looking at the characteristics of both Earth and Rat it could be a very good year for those with careers in business, construction, engineering, academia, planning and the clergy. Because there is likely a strong focus on career and self improvement this year be careful not to let family fall to far from your radar. Be attentive and creative with your time creating ways to spend time with them while achieving your own successes. Speaking of family this will be a good year for new romantic endeavors and taking existing relationships to the next level. 2008 holds many possibilities and represents a time of new beginnings, progress and achievements. Earth's practical influence will make 2008 a well balanced year with little to no spectacular events or elements. This is definitely a good year for adding something new to your life. Product Focus Consider what you are serving and select teas that will compliment your function.

Some teas are better than others for preparing ahead to be re-heated and that has been indicated below. Black teas are perfect to accompany sweets and are darker and more full bodied. Year of the Rat - February 7th 2008 Lunar History The Chinese lunar calendar originates back to 2637 B.C. and Emperor Huang Ti who first introduced the idea. The calendar is based on a complete 60 year cycle made up of 12 year cycles. Each year within the 12 year cycle is represented by an animal. The first of the 12 year cycles is the year of the rat. We are in the 78th 60 year cycle which began February 2nd, 1984 and will end in the year 2044. The Legend of the Animals There is a story attached to every historical event or happening in Chinese history and the "year of" animals are no exception. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to bid him farewell before he departed to Earth. 12 animals showed up, and so he named a year after each of them.

Rat Dog Boar Similar to the monthly characters in the western horoscope, the animal that rules over the year of your birth is believed to strongly influence your life. The Chinese believe that the animal of your birth year "hides in your heart" determining many of your personality characteristics and even some of your physical attributes. What animal hides in your heart ? Along with the animal and there fixed element, that rules over your year there are elements assigned to each year that are also taken into account - Earth, Wood, Metal, Fire and Water. So 2008 is not just the year of the rat but an earth rat year. How Will The Rat Affect You? If you are a Rat This is your year! And its action time for the ambitious rat. Temptations will be abundant so stave off the urge to be unfaithful in all your endeavors. Showing steadfastness and loyalty will be will rewarded and you will find yourself surrounded with friends, wealth and abundant happiness. If you are a Ox The always steady, well balanced Ox will work hard this year as always. 2008 will bring much reward for all your efforts bringing you prosperity and happiness.

A year of choices can cause conflict within yourself and with others but stay the course and avoid disturbance, 2009 is your year, wait until then to make big decisions. If you are a Tiger The feisty Tiger must keep strife and adversity to a minimum, avoiding arguments and focusing their natural high energy on useful, worthwhile projects. Stay close to family and home for a calmer journey this year. If you are a Rabbit The restless Rabbit must resist the urge to avoid problems facing any situations head on. This is a good year for ringing the changes, and rabbits who switch careers, living arrangements will find themselves rewarded with comfort and prosperity. 2008 is also a fertile romantic breeding ground for the Rabbit so look for fulfilling entanglements. If you are a Dragon The Dragon and the Rat are good buddies, and 2008 is the perfect year for Dragons. Give wings to your dreams; this is the year to chase your greatest desires. From love prospects to professional success your friend the Rat is going to be good to you. Dragon's will find themselves surrounded with both new friends and fresh, positive opportunities. If you are a Snake 2008 is a blockbuster year for Snakes!

Slither toward all the opportunities that come your way both personally and professionally. Strike out at wealth and love particularly as it is almost guaranteed to go your way. If you are a Horse As a horse in 2008 you will be best served staying close to your stable and family. Avoid new romances as you may become saddle with something other than what you had hoped for. Consider business proposals carefully this is not the year for risky propositions. Stick with the comfortable, familiar pastures and enjoy this year with family and friends. If you are a Ram The Ram should spend 2008 preparing the groundwork for future successes. Open yourself up to new experience's this year after all it is the first year in the lunar calendar representative of new beginnings and new experiences. Avoid hasty decisions and listen closely to family and friends who have only your best interest at heart and bring many intuitive ideas for your future success. If you are a Monkey Monkeys will find a jungle full of banana's this year and are urged to pick and eat them. An abundance of opportunities head your way throughout the year with the best of these coming to fruition in the second half of the year. Romantic matches and personal wealth prosper in this fruitful time for the monkey so pick wisely.

If you are a Rooster Bursting with energy the rooster will be spending much of 2008 trying to calm their abundant energy. Meditation and centering practices will aid the rooster in achieving positive results in the year ahead. Avoid conflict at all cost both at home and at work, acting thoughtfully and calmly in every situation. If you are a Dog The dog will have good fortune in the year ahead. You will find prosperity and new friendships in 2008. Stray away from home and take chances to seek out the special opportunities the rat has in store. Be a bold, confident puppy and turn problems into opportunities. Self assuredness will bring positive results in love so step out and be the "best of show!" If you are a Boar The successes and prosperity from 2007's Year of the Boar will roll over into 08. This year will be easily successful for the boar with all areas of your life feeling the love. Romance is definitely in the cards, and wedding bells could follow not far behind. Think that's enough, well the rat doesn't, the Boar will experience even more good fortune in financial opportunities quickly increasing wealth and status.

Chinese Zodiac Year of the Horse: Fortune 2017, Personality They always impress upon people with dynamic, zealous and generous image. Although endowed with many shinning points, they have to face the weaknesses in their characteristics. Strengths Most have nice personalities, such as warm-hearted, upright and easygoing. Hence, they usually have a lot of friends flocking around them. Independence and endurance makes them more powerful, and they do not easily give up when in difficulties. Positive attitude leads to a brighter direction. Weaknesses The love of spending seems to be the biggest problem since they must be financially well off to support their social activities and outlook. Besides, their frank attitude at times leads to letting out secret easily. Persistence is what they lack on the path of success. Perfect Matches: Tiger, Sheep, Rabbit They are born to be a well-matched couple, sharing a lot in common. Acceptable Matches: Dragon, Dog, Horse, Monkey Their life will be sweet and happy as long as one of them learns to be considerate, tolerant and understanding. Complementary Match: Pig They are a complementary couple in characteristic and capability, and good partners in housework / business.

Intimate Friend: Snake They are not so much couple as intimate friends, enjoying the same value for fashion and art. Avoid: Rat, Ox, Rooster Horse's Personality by Blood Types Apart from sharing some similar general personality traits, People born in the Year of Horse also subtly features different characteristics based on four blood types. People with type O are usually emotional facing the uncertain situation, but romantic in perusing the true love. Type A people are industrious and persistent, striving to fulfill every ambition, while quick temper makes themselves under great pressure. Those with type B are usually upright and warm-hearted, attracting a lot of friends around, who can be the powerful backup for them. And the type AB ones are wild and unruly in society; they are fond of taking risks to try everything new. Traveling far is what they often do. The Chinese New Year The Chinese New Year You are here: irt.org | Articles | JavaScript | Date and Time | The Chinese New Year [ previous next ] Published on: Saturday 1st November 1997 By: Martin Webb Source Code Introduction This article describes how to show the year of the chinese calendar that a date falls in, including the dates and days for the year.

More Arrays of Data The following additional arrays are utilised in this article, using the makeArray() function described in Blind Date : var chinese = new makeArray('Rat','Ox','Tiger','Hare', 'Dragon','Snake','Horse','Sheep', 'Monkey','Fowl','Dog','Pig'); var branches = new makeArray('Zi','Chou','Yin','Mao', 'Chen','Si','Wu','Wei', 'Shen','You','Xu','Hai'); var stems = new makeArray('Jia','Yi','bing','Ding','Wu', 'Ji','Geng','Xin','Ren','Gui'); The Chinese year names have a sixty-year cycle, and are created by pairing a Celestrial Stem with a Terrestrial Branch. The Celestial Stems are specified by Chinese characters that have no English translation; the Terrestrial Branches are named after twelve animals. chinese[ ] Pig Hai The initial year (jia-zi) of the current cycle began on 1984 February 2. The full list of the sexagenary year names is as follows: # 60.

Gui-Hai The Chinese celebrate New Year's Day sometime between January 10th and February 19th of the Gregorian calendar.

The following chinesenewyear[] array holds the dates of the Chinese New Year from 1900 to 1999, in the format M.DD, where M is the number of the month, and DD is the date within the month M: var chinesenewyear = new makeArray(1.31,2.19,2.08,1.29,2.16,2.04,1.25,2.13,2.02,1.22, 2.10,1.30,2.18,2.06,1.26,2.14,2.03,1.23,2.11,2.01, 2.20,2.08,1.28,2.16,2.05,1.25,2.13,2.02,1.23,2.10, 1.30,2.17,2.06,1.26,2.14,2.04,1.24,2

.11,1.31,2.19, 2.08,1.27,2.15,2.05,1.25,2.13,2.02,1.22,2.10,1.29, 2.17,2.06,1.27,2.14,2.03,1.24,2.12,1.31,2.18,2.08, 1.28,2.15,2.05,1.25,2.13,2.02,1.21,2.09,1.30,2.17, 2.06,1.27,2.15,2.03,1.23,2.11,1.31,2.18,2.07,1.28, 2.16,2.05,1.25,2.13,2.02,2.20,2.09,1.

29,2.17,2.06, 1.27,2.15,2.04,1.23,2.10,1.31,2.19,2.07,1.28,2.16); So for example in 1900 the Chinese New Year fell on 1.31, i.e.

the 31st of January. For years outside this range, only a rough estimate of the animal associated with each year is calculated. The Year of the Dragon Not unlike a leap year, where you simple divide the year with 4, 100, or 400 to test whether or not a year is a leap year, to calculate the Chinese branch, you must first subtract 3 from the year before dividing by 12 to find out which animal is associated with the year: number = (year - 3)%12; So for example, for 1997: 1997 - 3 = 1994 1994 % 12 = 2 chinese[2] = Ox, branches[2] = Chou To retrieve the Chinese stem, it is necessary to subtract 3 from the year and then divide by 10: number = (year - 3)%10; 1997 - 3 = 1994 1994 % 10 = 4 stems[4] = Ding Therefore 1997 was the Chinese year Chou-Ding, or the year of the Ox.

However, life is not that simple. As mentioned, the start of the Chinese New Year varies from January 10th to February 19th. People always think that because I was born in 1965 then that means I was born in the year of the Snake. But because I was born on the 4th January, I was actually born in the year of the Dragon. By testing the start of the Chinese New Year, we can account for this. Rather than calculate the beginning of the Chinese New Year, which may even be beyond the capability of JavaScript (although I am currently working on this), we'll use the chinesenewyear[] array described above. To retrieve the details for any particular year from 1900 to 1999 we use the following: var number = chinesenewyear[year - 1899]; To retrieve the month and day from a floating point number, e.g.

9.99, we use the following: var month = Math.floor(number); var day = Math.round((number*100)-(month*100)); Then all we need to do is compare the date entered with the start of the Chinese New Year, if its the same or greater then it is a simple matter of retrieving the chinese branch for the year, and if its less than then it requires retrieving the chinese branch for the previous year: if ((month > newMonth) || ((month == newMonth) && (day >= newDay))) { var chineseBranch = (year-3)%12; var chineseStem = (year-3)%10; } else { var chineseBranch = (year-4)%12; var chineseStem = (year-4)%10; } The following Chinese() function does all of this and more. It returns the animal name for the day, month and year passed, and also calculates the values of chineseyearrange the Chinese year range for the date, and chineseyearname the full name of the Chinese year.

The chineseyearrange can only be correctly returned for the years 1901 to 1998, as we must have the values for the years before 1901 and after 1998 to correctly calculate the start and end of the relevant years.

It also makes use of the FullDate() function described in the previous article Monday's child is full of grace function Chinese(day,month,year) { if ((year > 1900) && (year < 1999)) { var newYear = chinesenewyear[year - 1899]; var newMonth = Math.floor(newYear); var newDay = Math.round((newYear*100)-(newMonth*100)); if ((month > newMonth) || ((month == newMonth) && (day >= newDay))) { // this year var chineseBranch = (year-3)%12; var chineseStem = (year-3)%10; var nextYear = chinesenewyear[year - 1899 + 1]; var nextMonth = Math.floor(nextYear); var nextDay = Math.round((nextYear*100)-(nextMonth*100)); var lastDay = nextDay - 1; if (lastDay == 0) { lastMonth = nextMonth - 1; lastDay = 31; } else lastMonth = nextMonth; chineseyearrange = FullDate(newDay,newMonth

,year) + ' - ' + FullDate(lastDay,lastMonth,year+1); } else { // last year var chineseBranch = (year-4)%12; var chineseStem = (year-4)%10; var oldYear = chinesenewyear[year - 1899 - 1]; var oldMonth = Math.floor(oldYear); var oldDay = Math.round((oldYear*100)-(oldMonth*100)); var lastDay = newDay - 1; if (lastDay == 0) { lastMonth = newMonth - 1; lastDay = 31; } else lastMonth = newMonth; chineseyearrange = FullDate(oldDay,oldMonth,year-1) + ' ' + FullDate(lastDay,lastMonth,year); } } else { var chineseBranch = (year-3)%12; var chineseStem = (year-3)%10; } if (chineseBranch == 0) chineseBranch = 12; if (chineseStem == 0) chineseStem = 10; chineseyearname = '(' + stems[chineseStem] + '-' +

 branches[chineseBranch] + ')'; return chinese[chineseBranch]; } To retrieve the data the following JavaScript defines two global variables chineseyearrnage and chineseyearname which are populated by the Chinese() function: var chineseyearrange = ''; var chineseyearname = ''; var chineseyear = Chinese(day,month,year); document.write('Chinese year of the ' + chineseyear + ' ' + chineseyearname + ' ' + chineseyearrange); Chinese New Year 2016 Date February 8th | Year of the Monkey The Chinese Calendar 2016 2016 is the year of the Monkey.

It is the Fire Hóu (火 猴) year of the Fire Monkey. Fire is the third of the ten celestial stems and 猴 Hóu (Monkey) is the ninth of the twelve terrestrial branches. Unlike western calendars, the Chinese calendar has names that are repeated every 60 years. Within the 'Stem-Branch' system is shorter cycle of 12 years denoted by animals: Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Sheep Monkey Rooster Dog Pig 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2007 Calculating 'When is the Chinese New Year in 2016' The fact that the date of Chinese New Year varies within about a month is a clue that it's linked to the new moon. A rough, and almost infallible guide is that the Chinese New Year follows the second new moon after the winter solstice.

The winter solstice always falls on December 21st , the next new moon is on January 10th 2016, and the second new moon is on February 8th 2016. § Year of the Monkey The monkey ranks ninth of all the animals in the Chinese zodiac. The monkey is a clever animal and is frequently compared to a smart person. Pictures of monkeys are often placed on walls and doors to bring good fortune. Characteristics of Monkey People People born in the year of the monkey are lively, flexible, witty and versatile with strong practical ability. They love to be active and they enjoy sports. Often highly intelligent, they are talented problem solvers, and are self-assured, sociable and innovative. They love being the centre of attention and have a magnetic personality. Monkey people have an insatiable desire for knowledge and show amazing creativity in their work. They like challenges and love to succeed, although they can be discouraged if things don't go their way.

Monkeys are mischievous; they are masters of the practical joke (though they can sometimes take things too far) They tend to be healthy (probably due to their active lifestyle) but should remember to take a break from their busy schedule now and again. Negative traits are that they can be jealous, suspicious, cunning, arrogant and impatient, and tend to look down on others. Fire Monkey 2016 is the Year of the Fire Monkey, fire being the dominant element this year. (the other elements are wood, metal, water and earth) Fire brings huge energy and determination to the Monkeys. They strive to gain the upper hand and like nothing better than to be at the top of the tree. Being recognised for their achievements gives them greater job satisfaction than money. In business they are good negotiators, persuasive and organised, but can get 'burnt' by taking risky shortcuts. Fire monkey women, will be willing to give up their own wealth or dreams to raise their family and to ensure their spouse and children are successful.

Fire Monkeys should remember that there is a saying in China: "The further up the tree a Monkey goes, the more you see his bottom." If they use their talents and energy well, they can be extremely successful and popular with all. Lucky colours: white, gold, blue. Avoid red, black. Lucky numbers: 1, 8, 7 Avoid 9, 2, 5 Lucky flower: chrysanthemum

Question: In the Chinese New Year what year follows Rat?
Answer: Ox